Artificial surf-bathing pool



Feb. 12, 1929;

W. FISCH ARTIFICIAL SURF BA'IHING POOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 6, 1927 Wflliam Wsh Cfrroum menfoz nome m 2 6 m w m h 7 .C L, S 3 a 8 W h s 2 m m a G i 1 mm W U U .S% mw Wa n m F m .I 4 1 121 t 4 i 1.. I

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Patented Feb. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM FISCH, F ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

ARTIFICIAL. SURF-BATHING POOL.

Application filed January 6, 1927. Serial No. 159,867.

My invention relates to an artificial surf bathing pool of thetype in which by motion of the pool or tank a surge of water is induced which, acting against the marginal walls of the tank, will produce the effect of the surf.

in my present invention 1 show a tank whichis balanced to rock with a fixedf'ulcrum on an intermediate transverse bearing, preferably of the knife edge type, in combination with power means for controlling its tilting or oscillatory movements. My pres ent invention difl'ers from the disclosure in my pending application, Serial No. 150,108, in which the tank was shown adapted to rock with a shifting fulcrum.

My present invention further contemplates broadly the provision of a baffle spaced from the marginal tank wall wherever there will be a surge or rush of water against it, this battle being designed to produce an upwardly contracting spray chamber, open at its bottom and top, to the end that the surge of water into the contracting space of this chamher will produce the discharge of spray, preferablyabove the top of the induced wave edect.

More particularly, my invention contemplates a tiltable tank having curved marginal walls and a. curved bafiie spaced inwardly from the marginal tank walls with its lower end projecting below the low water level in the tank and its upper edge juxtaposed to the upper edge of the adjacent tank marginal wall so to produce an inwardly and 1113- wardly curved contracting spray chamber.

My invention further. contemplates the provision of a tilting tank having a depressed center so as to give the necessary swimming depth there and to provide a. less depth of water adjacent to the surf producing bafiiled ends of the tank.

My invention further contemplates the introduction of replacement water in the form of showers supplied from a source of water under pressure and controlled by valves automatically operated by the tank motion so that the showers play only at the end of the tank depressed below mean level position.

vMy invention further comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiments only are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. and in which I Fig. 1 is a partial longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view and a partial side elevation of the center mounted type of oscillatory tank.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one end of the tank.

Fig. 3 illustrates in detail the valve mechanism for automatically controlling the motors which actuate the tank.

Fig. l is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view through a modified type of tank mounted off center and having a varying depth of water with a power control mechanism provided at one end only of the tank.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view showing the wave, spray and shower producing mechanisms in cross-section at one end of the tank. "0

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the valve control means for automatically cutting the replacement water shower on and ofi.

Corresponding reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the drawings. V

In the embodiment of my invention illus trated in Figs. 1 and 2, I show an elongated tank having marginal side walls 10 and 11 which in the type illustrated are parallel and connect with the'bottom 12 of the tank and with upwardly and inwardly curved end walls 13, which are preferably formed as continuations of the bottom 12. The bottom is supported upon longitudinal spaced trusses 14 which carry transverse I beams 15, the trusses being dropped across their central portion to provide a depressed bottom portion 16 extending transversely across the middle portion of the tank to produce there a maximum depth of water. The trusses are mounted upon a transverse central bearing plate 17 having along its center a dependent knife edge bearing 18 adapted to be received in. a V-bearing 19 formed along the center of the supporting plate 20 that rests upon a suitable foundation 21. The tank is thus. supported in line with its center of ravity on a knife edge bearing .upon which it is adapted to oscillate so as to induce a surge of water toward its curved ends 13. These ends curve upwardly and over so as to approach the horizontal top plane of the tank at a very acute angle and in front of each of these walls 13 I interpose a similarly curved bafile 22 dis- 1 posed so as to approach very close to the top of the end 13 andto have an increasing clearance downwardly from said topedge so as to provide what I term a spray chamber 23 which converges upwardly and inwardly. Ho

The battle in the form of a solid plate eX- tends downwardly,'ypreferably to a" point below the low water level at its respective end of the tank, and in order to protect bathers from contact with its lower edge andto prevent foreign matter gainingaccess to the spraychamber 23, I provide .a grating 24 which extends from the bottom of the solid baflle to the tank bottom 12; This grating will permit the surge of water to pass freely into the spray chamber. The top angle or channel member 25 of the trusses is carried upwardly on a curve about theend walls 13 valve 34 which has an exhaust opening 35 and and serves to rigidly brace the same. 7

In order to control the oseillationof-the tank, I provide a plurality of compressed air 7 cylinders or equivalent motors 26'preferably arranged under the ends oifthe middle trusses.

and having their pistons 2'? provided with piston rods 23 connected by links 29-w1th plates 30 atthe ends of the-trusses proper.

The cylinders are provided with top openings 3'1 and'with a bottom connection. 32 leading at eachend ofma'nii'old pipes which pipes 33 connect on opposite sides to a threeqvay a connection 36 leading to a tank or source oimotor fluid pressure 37. The valve'38 is connectedlto anoperating handle 39 which is adapted, as indicated in Fig. '3, to befcon- -nected by means of a slot 40. therein with a pin 41 on'the sidewall 11 of thetank and whenwengaged -therewith to be rocked so as to; deliver the-pressure first to the motors at one end and then to the motors at the other end otthetank in such manner as to adapt the saidmotors not only to oscillate the tank but to control and cushion its movements and to bring it torest. The" manner of operation of this vva-lvecontrol 1s fully described 1n; my

pending applicationaforesaid and is not therefore claimed as a part of this application.. 1

bracing elements 25a bracket 42011 which is mounted a manifold pipe 43 having a plu rality of vertical pipes 44 leading'therefrom to 'perforated' sprinkler pipes 45 mounted at.

thetopfof the sides 13 between the elements=25 a'ndadapted to. discharge ashower of water over into thetanln Themanitold pipe 43 is supplied by water through a connection 46, a flexiblepipe 47".and "a main 48 leading from any suitable source of water supply under pressure. I provide a hand controlled valve 49 'in' the pipe 48 and also a tank controlled valve 50having its lever 51 connectedin the slot52'of a link 53 pivotally suspended from thc' endof the tank. The arrangementis such that, as shown in Fig; 6, whenthe adjacent tank end swings down below mean level posi-,

' ti'on thelever moves the port 54 of the valve into register with the'inlet and outlet pipes and thus turns on the'spray duringthe time that the tank is below mean level position,

I attach to the endwalls 13 and to their or during such part of this time as may prove desirable; The overfiow water is drawn oi'f scribed in connection with Fig. .1. At its" other or hi her end itmerges lllhO ashort curved wall. 13. The trusses14" are designed to accommodate themselves'to thisdesign of tank and theyrest on the bearing plate17-L of center but at what represents the approximate center ofgravit-y or t-he tank with the water in its mean level position therein. This brings; the bearing plate 17 close to the end 13 and leaves that end as the lower end of the tank. The baffle 22, spray chamber 23, grating 24, sprinkler 45, and the water connectionsthereto are alias describedinconnectioni with Fig.4, and in addition thereto. there is provideda 'cleanout opening 58, with a control valve-59 therefor, which delivers into a sump 60. At the endr13 is provided a small baflie 22 which produces a small spray chamber23 at the upper end of the tank, but the grating below the battle is shown emitted at this end-and the sprinkler is also omitted,

thoughi't could obviously beused if desired.

The plates 30 are connected to the higher ends of the trusses 14 and are connected to the motor piston 27 in the manner described p for Fig. I. In this arrangement howevertthe cylinderQfi is connected at each end by pipes 61 and62 to a valve 63having an exhaust opening 64 and a pressure supply connection 65 leading from thetank 37 or like source of" fluid pressure. As the tankrocks, the valve lever 66, whichis connected by a slotted han die 6'? tea pin'GSonthe tanln'w'illro ck the valve so as alternately to admit pressure be low and exhaust lll'flOlll above the pistons,

thus. automatically oscillating the tank. By

setting the valve in the neutral position 1 shown in Fig. 4, which can be done by detach- 'ing the-handle 67 from the pin, the valve can beset to blank off bot-liconnections 61 and 62 and'thus cause thetank to, come to rest; The overflow water is withdrawn through a pipe 69 which comprises a flexible portion 70 to follow the oscillatory movement of thetank.

In like manner the overflow pipe 550i 1 comprisesaflexible portion 70; a r I In operation, as the tank in Fig. 1 oscillates back and 'iort-h with a slow movement, there will be a surge of watertoward the against the baiile and surge up into-the spray chamber. 23, producing both the breaking lowered end of the tankwhich will strike .7

wave efi'ect shown in Fig. 5, as well as an over-riding spray for the wave, the spray being caused by the rush of a mass of water into the contracting chamber which will tend to discharge it as a spray or jet of water. At the same time, as each end drops below mean position, it begins to open the valve and,

assuming valve 4E9 normally open, will admit water through the manifold piping system to the several sprinkler pipes 4-5 and thus discharge the replacement water in the form of a shower, thereby increasing the extent to which the bathers at the ends. of the tank will be subjected to wave, spray and sprinkler eiiects which will give life, action and interest to the bathing. hen it is desired to stop the tank, the valve lever 39 is disengaged from the pin 41 and the valve 38 is set to trap the air in either or both ends of the cylinders, as desired.

The operation of Fig. 4 is substantially the same, except that the motors are arranged at the shallow higher end of the tank where they obtain a considerable leverage for the control of the mass of water in the tank and the wave efii'ects of the two ends of the tank will be somewhat diherent, due to the diflerent depth and arrangement of the battles 22 and 22. At the higher end it is probable that there will be a greater effect from the spray, as the lower edge of the battle is shown above the water level, but this is not essential and: it may be submerged 1t it is found to produce the more desirable effect when disposed that way.

Though I have described with great particularity the details of the embodiment of the invention herein shown, it is not to be construed that I am limited thereto, as changes in arrangement and substitution ofequivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is V 1. A bathing pool of the character described, comprising a tank, means to induce a surge of water against a marginal tank wall, and a baflie spaced inwardly from said wall and arranged to provide a chamber oi upwardly decreasing size having a top spray outlet disposed to discharge into the tank.

2. A bathing pool according to claim 1, in which the baffle is concave to convert part of the surging water into a wave and part into spray above the wave.

3. A bathing pool according to claim 1, in

which the battle is spaced above the tank bottom and terminates close to the top edge of the adjacent marginal wall of the tank to define therewith the walls of the spray outlet.

4:. A bathing pool according to claim 1, in which both the marginal tank wall and the baffle are curved and disposed to approach each other to form a restricted top spray outlet.

5. A bathing pool of the character described, comprising an enlongated tank mounted to oscillate on a transverse roller bearing, power means to cause and control said oscillations, endcurved bafiies disposed to produce a breaking wave of water surging against it, the end wall of the tank forming with each adjacent battle a spray chamber which converges upwardly and inwardly and is open above and below, and a sprinkler pipe above each spray chamber having means to cut it into and out of play responsive to the tanks oscillations.

6. In a bathing pool of the character described, a tank mounted to oscillate about a fixed fulcrum, power means to oscillate the tank, an end Spray for introducing replacement water, and valve means for controlling the spray responsive to the tanks oscillations.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

lVILLIAM FISCH. 

